MANURES FOR THE WHEAT CROP. 71 



from the large quantity of leaf-producing material, pro- 

 vided, on the decay of this organic substance, the danger 

 of flagging, and going down must be guarded against. Salt 

 is the most useful substance that can be applied for stiffen- 

 ing the straw, and to it might be added a soluble phosphate 

 manure, say 2 cwt. of the former, with 3 cwt. super-phos- 

 phate sown broadcast in March." (5.) For Loamy Soils. 

 " For winter wheat 4 cwt. rape-cake, or a dressing of bone- 

 dust, applied at seed time, would be enough, if after beans 

 or bare fallow ; but for spring application, 3 cwt. guano 

 used in March, or 2 cwt. each of nitrate of soda and salt, 

 or even 1^ cwt. sulphate of ammonia and 2 cwt. salt at the 

 beginning of April would be a satisfactory dressing. If for 

 spring wheat I would recommend 3 cwt. guano, at seed time, 

 or 1^ each of guano and nitrate of soda at a later period." 

 47. The subject of wheat manuring has received much 

 attention from the celebrated agricultural chemists, Mr. J. 

 B. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert, who have experimented most 

 extensively, and over a long period of years, in order to 

 arrive at practically useful results. The papers published 

 by them on the subject are exceedingly valuable and sug- 

 gestive, but their length utterly precludes all possibility of 

 giving here even the briefest of epitomes of them. Pro- 

 bably in the following extract from their summary of re- 

 sults is to be found that which bears most practically upon 

 the subject. To the proper understanding of the first part of 

 the extract it may be necessary to acquaint the reader other- 

 wise ignorant of the fact, that the two great schools of agricul- 

 tural chemistry are, first, that led by the celebrated German 

 chemist Liebig ; and, second, that by the no less celebrated 

 English authorities, Lawes and Gilbert, to whom we have 

 already referred. The Liebig school maintain the necessity, 

 as a primary one, of supplying the wheat crop with mineral 

 or inorganic constituents, the organic being chiefly supplied 

 through the medium of the atmosphere. The school of 

 Lawes and Gilbert maintain, on the contrary, that all soils, 

 more especially wheat ones, are abundantly supplied many 

 in excess with mineral or inorganic constituents, and that 



